Ascension
by Selcier
Summary: The Race is expanding; gobbling up Independent Trade planets. Goku wants to remember his lost past as a hero and a human. Vegeta wants to let history run its course as a Saiyan.
1. Chapter 1

"Why don't you sit down and have yourself some dinner, young man? There's no use standing around." Normally, a request from such a person would not have been so persuading, but Vegeta found himself on the couch with a plate of various cold foods within moments. The older woman had smiled, showing a mouth with few teeth. "There. Isn't that better? You'll do no good worrying with an empty stomach!"

He frowned and stared at his plate. The macaroni salad was awfully tempting.

"Oh, my. Eloise, that cap will be just lovely for the baby." The woman, Laura Willis, or Ms. Laura as she insisted Vegeta call her, sat down next to him on the couch. She gestured to an ancient woman across the living room who was finishing up a pink knitted cap. "Don't you think so, young man? Have you met little Emma yet?"

At his dour expression, she smiled. "Your grandmother does have the more adorable great-grand daughter. I'm so happy that she was able to see her."

Vegeta shoveled a fork full of macaroni salad into his mouth to avoid saying anything. He decided is was good enough to move onto the roast beef.

The two women sat in silence as he ate, occasionally taking sips of their tea. In the background, the church down the street chimed as another hour came and went. He put his plate on the coffee table and leaned farther back in the overstuffed couch, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Would you like some more?" Ms. Laura asked. "My daughter dropped off some wonderful cherry pie." She stood just as a door closed quietly upstairs and foot steps sounded on the stairs.

Vegeta surged to his feet as a young man came into view. His stethoscope dangled from around his neck and his tie was loosened. He rubbed his temples as he entered the living room. "She passed a few moments ago," he explained quietly to the small group. "It was peaceful." He pulled his white coat off the nearby rack and slung it over his shoulders. "I will call the appropriate authorities on my way back to the hospital." Nothing else was said as he left the room. They all heard the sound of the front door opening and closing; a warm breeze accompanying his departure.

"Well," said Ms. Laura, putting her tea down and standing. "Georgia and I will clean up all this food and put it in the fridge for later." She motioned to the ancient woman and they hurried out of the living room and into the kitchen. Vegeta could hear the sounds of cabinets opening and plastic containers being shuffled around.

He glanced towards the staircase and frowned. Like the doctor before him, he grabbed a light jacket from the rack, pulled it on over his white shirt and walked calmly out of the house. He had been expecting his great-great-grand daughter's death for quite some time: it was no surprise that she had began drifting away a few days before. It was really just a matter of when she would go.

He walked around the rounded edge of Capsule Corporation, intent on his path. The air was warm, but being the beginning of fall, the night breeze was beginning to be distinctly cold. But nothing like the cold vacuum of space.

Vegeta stopped at a small building and keyed in the master code on the colorful lock. The ten inch titanium door quickly allowed him access as the lights automatically flipped on. The only way to go was down a spiral staircase.

The hanger itself was small and cramped. Bulma had told him that there just was not plausible to build it to the size he wanted. He scoffed again at the Earth's technological shortcomings. Even the woman had wanted to keep the ship modest as to not draw attention. She wanted to spare her pitiful race the embarrassment of seeing a true ship blast off from a planet that thought themselves the only beings in the Universe.

At the bottom of the stair case was a small platform that overlooked the vertical ship. The cockpit was at the nose of the vessel and its door was already open, inviting him into the spartan interior of two seats. The hull was white (in true Capsule Corp. style) and two logos decorated the side. One was that of his father and the other that of her father. He knew there was a small living quarter behind the cockpit, although it would only become accessible once he was in space.

Vegeta hovered over to the porthole, crouched down to crawl into the cockpit and clambered into the farther seat. In space, it would be comfortable, but due to the ships vertical position, he was essentially sitting on his back with his legs dangling in the air. He punched a series of buttons, their positions and functions burned into his mind after first viewing the plans in her lab all those years ago.

The communication screen immediately flipped on showing the slowly spinning Capsule logo. A female voice welcomed him aboard and offered him some options. "Connect me to Kakarrot," he growled, the hair on the back of his neck rising. "Tell him that he has two hours to get here."

"Message sent," stated the computer.

"Fine, now begin the pre-flight systems check. Start with the primary booster rockets and then the sub-light engines." He hit another series of buttons, bringing up a blue screen with scrolling equations. "Then countdown to a pre-burn."

"Initializing" said the computer.

Vegeta forced himself to pay attention to the numbers on the screen telling himself that if any of them were incorrect, he would fly straight into a pulsar. It had been a long time since he had input coordinates. It was possible that some of the star systems in his mental map were no longer even there. This was not a time to dwell on that possibility of a mistake.

The computer and the saiyan worked in silence until a short beep indicated the computer's assigned tasks were complete. A small rumbling shook the hull as the pre-burn warmed up the two hundred year old engines. It had just started to become more violent when Goku stuck his head into the cockpit.

"Vegeta," he said softly, "I got your message. You are going." He did not ask, but there was a small smile on his face.

Inside the cockpit, Vegeta did not even glance over at him. "Obviously, you moron. Now, I have minimum blast-off time of thirty minutes. Get in if you want." He leaned up in the seat in order to see the screen better. Everything seemed to be in order.

Goku did not move at first as the computer announced an all systems go for launch. "Did you figure out where you're going?"

"No. It won't make much difference if I don't make it out of this mud-ball's atmosphere. Then I will think about it." He switched off the screen and looked fully at the other saiyan. The cockpit was lite only by it's red emergency lights.

Goku, had a rather serious expression on his face. "Are you planning on coming back? What if some huge power comes to Earth and tries to kill everyone? Then what?" He perched himself on the edge of the portal hole, crouching in the small space.

"I believe that you know my thoughts on that subject," Vegeta sneered. "They are just going to have to defend themselves. I have no investment here anymore."

Goku nodded slowly and tugged on his green t-shirt. "I don't really have any supplies with me..." He trailed off and rubbed the back of his head, "Chi Chi would kill me if she knew that I wasn't bringing an extra pair of underwear on a long trip." He grinned over at Vegeta for a moment before his expression dropped and his eyebrows furrowed in seriousness. "What you said the other day, I don't really understand. But you want me to understand."

Vegeta turned back to the screen and gritted his teeth. "Kakarrot. I refuse to discuss that farther with you. Now get in." Goku's expression became neutral.

The ships trembling had become more violent as Goku settled into the co-pilot seat. He immediately reached over and buckled his seat belt. "Safety first," he said quietly, to himself, Vegeta assumed.

"Computer, activate life support," Vegeta ordered brusquely. Only a few more minutes and he would feel the chilling cold of space.

"Water tanks are at the highest capacity, oxygen tanks are fully compressed and mass measurements indicate that the sustenance storage facilities are at maximum capacity. Ten minutes until full burn."

Goku grinned, a bit nervously, "How long will it take us to get places? I hope its not too long."

Vegeta ignored him a focused on the screen once again, the count down had started. He suddenly wondered if the burn would hit the main Capsule Corp. building. Ms. Laura and Elosie were still there. Along with the body. He reached over and snapped his belt into place, ignoring his own thoughts.

Goku grabbed the arms of the seat as the engines finally roared to life. The vibrations were almost unbearable. He felt as though his brain was sloshing around in his skull. Vegeta did not look much better; his face was whiter than ever and his tail twitched in it's place wrapped around his knee.

"Twenty seconds until lift-off" the computer announced. "Fifteen. Ten. Nine."

Vegeta glanced at the screen again, suddenly second guessing himself: that he made a mistake. "Seven. Six."

The taller saiyan felt as though his eyes were going to burst out of his eyes. He closed them just to be safe.

"Three. Two. One. Launch."


	2. Chapter 2

The port was just as he remembered; although, he supposed it was quite a shock for Kakarrot. The surface of the planet had been scoured clean by harsh winds centuries ago and the only habitable places remained in deep crevices that reached miles down into the planet's crust. The ravines were so deep that sunlight rarely reached the bottom and only one side was lit during the solar cycle. That left the climate in a frustrating swing between freezing and sweltering temperatures.

Vegeta glanced at the thin shirt Goku was wearing. They would have to stick to the bright side at first. The hanger the ship rested in was heated to keep the machinery at peak condition, but he doubted the port had gone so far to extend that courtesy to the rest of the public areas. After all, not every creature liked heat.

Goku was staring at the other ships in the hanger. There were not many, as this was one of several hangers located across the planet. But most were sleek and shiny showing emblems of powerful conglomerates that were already in place when Vegeta had last been in the area. Most of ships had a small contingent of beings scrambling around polishing, repairing and refueling.

The hanger itself was nestled deep in one of the wider ravines, its floor bedrock. The ceiling was opened only for incoming and outgoing space craft. Overall, the hanger was small, forcing the large intergalactic ships to send small vessels as they maintained orbit in the upper atmosphere. The doors were just opening and closing as another small ship dropped down into the hanger and found a space to settle.

The smell, not surprisingly, was quite shocking. The stench of a thousand races pilfered up from the smoking metals and filtered out of open hatches. Some ships were emptying the contents of their waste disposal right onto the hanger floor making an ever growing puddle of filth. And, the smell of fresh, and old, fuel permeated the enclosure, making the air alive with combustible material.

"So, where to?" Goku looked cheerful. He grinned over at the smaller man. "I hope you had eating in mind."

Vegeta scoffed but silently agreed. "We will need funds first. Let's go." He started walking in the direction of the lift; Goku hurrying after him.

They crowed onto the lift with a three other beings. Goku could not help but stare a bit as an enormous creature with six arms and no discernible head leaned over the rest of the group in order to fit. It made some sort of sound that he thought was meant as an apology. It was difficult to tell.

The lift opened up to a short tarmac above the hanger and near the hanger doors. The ravine's walls soared up on either side blocking the light from hitting the bottom. The other side of the hanger was bathed in sunlight, however, and he could see the rocks and metal smoking in the heat.

He did not have long to get cold before they all squeezed themselves onto a tram that traveled right beneath the sun's rays. Soon, despite the wind in the open air car, his shirt was soaked through and his socks were so drenched that he felt like he was sloshing around in his boots. Vegeta had his jacket clenched in one hand, sweat dripping down his neck.

After the tram came to an abrupt halt and some of the creatures picked themselves off the floor, everyone was shoved off onto a platform as the tram started boarding passengers from the other side. The enormous creature tripped over a small, orange haired creature on its way out and caught itself with one hand on the platform that some of the smaller, low to the ground beings were thrown into the air.

But the crowd was already flowing away the platform and spilling out onto a road filled with people. The ravine they had entered was much narrower than the previous one and almost completely dark. Goku could feel the sweat on his arms freeze as the sun was replaced by pitiful lamps along rock face. He concentrated on the flame of Vegeta's hair until the street opened up a little more and he could catch up.

"Jeez. This place sure is busy," he said smiling. "There are so many people."

Vegeta rolled his eyes at his companion. "Kakarrot. I know you have been in space before. Don't try to fool me with your asinine comments." He pulled his jacket on and zipped it up. "C'mon, we will need money and a place to stay for the time being."

"And food!" Goku exclaimed.

They slowly made their way thorough the, thankfully thinning, crowd and over to a terminal underneath a flashing sign. The light from the screen was almost blinding in the dark. Vegeta keyed in a command on the screen and gave a verbal voice recognition phrase when prompted. A feminine voice announced his transaction finished and a card shot out of receptacle and onto the ground.

"Did it work?" Goku asked. "What did it say?"

"Yes, my accounts are apparently still in existence." Vegeta picked up the card and shoved it into his pocket. Being the conquer of worlds did not come without compensation. Freeza had been rather lax in his extrotion of all a planet's resources. There was always a buyer. And Freeza was often not aware of a particular item's worth on the galactic market. And, being a solider, he had little use for money or wealth. Perhaps it had just been wishful thinking at the time, but the creation of his accounts had given him some future in which he would not be under Freeza's full command.

He glanced over at the other Saiyan who was smiling cheerfully and peering around as some of the more colorful species. He had taken particular interest in a Mox-walow across the street. It was a tall, willowing creature with deep purple flesh and small, beady yellow eyes. The robe it was wearing was thick and matted with grime. "Kakarrot, that creature eats by inserting a small needle-like tube into a subjects ear and extracting the fluid around the brain."

Goku's face instantly slackened and his pallor took on a distinctive green tinge. "Wh... what?" He stuttered. "A needle?" He took a hasty step back towards Vegeta and the console, his hands raising as if to defend himself.

Vegeta shock his head and allowed a small look of amusement. "Yes. But they only prefer the brain fluid of pregnant females of their own kind under the light of the three-sun summer season on their own planet. Other than that, they eat regular space rations."

The taller man took a moment to think about the information and cocked his head over at his partner. "Jeez, Vegeta, you really gave me a scare!" He smiled, if a bit more serious than usual. "But I get your point."

Vegeta nodded and set off walking in the freezing ravine. Goku stayed a set behind him, glancing in all directions as they walked. His nose twitched at the unfamiliar smells and his skin tingled at the unfamiliar voices. Living as long as he had, he thought that he had smelled everything there was to smell. How many different smells could exist? And, how could such a noise exist? He glanced down as his humanoid hands and was reminded how large the galaxy really was.

One passing creature (who reminded Goku of a sunny-side up egg on a hot day), was shouting out as he peddled wares down the street. The alien's voice boomed deep in the chest and sounded oddly like boulders rolling down a steep, rocky hill. And, a mouth was no where to be seen. After each exclamation, a device attached to creature's front shouted out -equally as loud- the Standard translation.

Another more humanoid female chirped as she skipped down the street dancing and receiving tips from appreciative onlookers. Occasionally, she broke out into a song that sounded like the wind through a field of long, green grass. The sound was soothing and beautiful to Goku's ears but he noticed many other beings grimacing and turning away.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, turning down a side street carved out of the rock face. There were almost no other people milling about as shops were few and far between. Vegeta thought about the last time he had set foot on this port. It had been when he was very young, shortly after his servitude to Freeza had begun. He frowned and forced the thoughts from his head.

The street they came out onto was abuzz with street peddlers selling everything from food to carniverous plant-life to star-drive bolts. The shorter Saiyan glanced back at his companion who was drooling over something being roasted over and open flame. "Later. The sun is about to set and then we will freeze." He pointedly looked at Goku's flimsy shirt as the thought of the inadequacies of his own earth clothing.

The first hotel they saw looked as thought it had experienced a recent fire. The second only had rooms available that were for double sub-standard height requirements. The two Saiyans would have had to walk bent over at a 90 degree angle to make it into the room, might as well the impossibility of sleeping on the small beds. Vegeta explained, briefly, that Saiyans were of sub-standard height. He looked a bit peeved about the fact.

The third hotel had more rooms available for their height class. They were given a key-chip to a room on the fourth level with out question. The furry being behind the counter only glanced at them with one out five eyes and sent them on their way. He asked only for a name ("Briefs.") and a home world address ("Quadrant G-7, Secotor B, Earth.")


	3. Chapter 3

Compared to Earth, the port was a bustling hub of activity and a feast for the senses. Goku spent many days roaming the streets, peeking his head in shops, and staring at the multitude of creatures surrounding him. He was continuously fascinated by the sounds, smells and looks of everything around him.

For Vegeta, the surroundings were not quite as exciting. However, he found that he did feel a sense of nostalgia when he stepped out of the hotel every morning and into the street. It was strange, to him at least, that he had really only spend a small part of his life in space. Almost all of his adult life had seen him confined to Earth. He had grown accustomed to the language and how society acted.

Vegeta's first step outside Bulma's ship had even been a little jarring. But, he had found his footing quickly enough. His muscles remembered how to speak. His nose remembered the smells. And, his instincts remembered how to stay unnoticed and nonthreatening. His slipped easily back into the shadows; deflecting stares onto other, less deserving, candidates. It was always better to pass by without attracting attention. Attention got you killed.

"Even though," he thought, "there isn't really anyone to do the killing."

So far, no news had reached the Saiyans about some ferocious overlord or some new up-start who wanted to take the galaxy for himself. It all seemed peaceful despite the fact that Freeza had fallen long enough ago that there should have been someone vying for his spot as Emperor.

In fact, little seemed to worry the inhabitants of the space port. They all seemed caught up in their daily lives; discussing little of extra-planetary news and information. To Vegeta, it was some kind of warped version of Earth only the inhabitants were not so naïve about their place in the galaxy.

Goku was hardly upset about the state of affairs. He enjoyed the streets without the fear (or at least apprehension) of being attacked or followed. No one seemed to recognize him – not that they should – or even know his race. And, of course, no one had ever heard of Earth or had any intention of going there for any reason. His mind was at peace know that his presence was not alerting some crusader on a mission to cull Earth. Instead, he was able to watch and listen freely while occasionally conversing with those individuals with a translator.

A few weeks into the Saiyans' stay, Goku was at such a task: people watching. Vegeta was off at the hanger arranging for some upgrades to be made to the ship. The engine was in top form, but it needed some cleaning. The guidance systems, according to the mechanic, were another story. Intergalactic starships were required by law to have their guidance databases updated every five years. This would ensure that the navigation systems could account for any changes in planetary shift, the formation of new asteroid belts or other deep space problems (like quasars or black holes). The ship had not had these updates in over a hundred years and probably had been missing a lot of information in the first place. It was a miracle, the mechanic commented, that the two Saiyans had managed to avoid being sucked into space. He had also added that the law had come about during Freeza's tyrannical governance because so many planets were annihilated that ships were constantly being lost to new asteroid fields.

Lost in his daydream, and while staring uncontrollably at a creature across the street, he remembered Vegeta's reaction with a frown. "Ah, I remember now," he had said with a smile. For being such close friends, Goku did not fully understand the way Vegeta's mind worked. Vegeta had been cleared for his transgressions in life according to those-in-the-know, but there were times when a horrible look of glee would seep onto his face and his eyes would glaze over. His fingers would twitch and his ki would fluctuate. Goku wanted to think that these episodes were Vegeta remembering a good spar or an especially tasty meal. But, he feared they were related more to the prince's memories of crushing a skull in his hands or ripping the jugular out of a pale neck.

The creature he was staring at turned and faced him, its business done at the little stall. It moved hastily away down one of the many small side streets interlacing the main avenue. Goku's eyes strayed down the road and landed on another, more humanoid creature. This ones eyes took up most of its head, but it had two arms and two legs and was quiet pleasing to look at. At least Goku know what all its parts were for since he had the same anatomy.

He vaguely wondered if he would spot another Saiyan. Surely some had to have survived. The galaxy was a big place and there appeared to be plenty of humanoid creatures to produce children with. Humans could not possible by the only other species with all the right parts. From his many – naked- adventures with Krillin as a boy, he knew that humans and Saiyans were essentially the same. Surly the humanoid across the way was also similar.

Although, he did not know whether it was male or female. After his first meeting with Bulma, he had improved on his gender-discerning abilities. However, not all women had large breasts and not all men did not have breasts. So, sometimes he went by clothes; which was also not a fool-proof method in that some women liked men's clothes and some men (although to a lesser extent) liked women's clothes.

Neither of these tactics was helping him out in space. Almost no one had breasts ("They can't all be boys.") And, there was absolutely no one where anything remotely similar to Earth-like clothing.

In fact, Goku himself had been pressed to wear some sort of heat-controlling fabric underneath his t-shirt in order to compensate for the significant temperature changes. The top looked similar to a long-sleeved shirt, but the neck went all the way up to his chin and half-way down his palms. Also, it was more like one of Vegeta's old spandex suits in that it had strips that circled his legs all the way down to his toes. How the strips stayed in place or what material it was made out of, he did not know. But it did work and that was enough for him.

His thoughts strayed back to his musings about Saiyans. Would they have black hair? Or would they be like Trunks and Bra and look more human? Would they have tails? Could they transform? Would they be willing to talk? Would they like him?

He suddenly had a lot of questions to ask Vegeta so he stood up and made his way back to the hanger. In the last few weeks, they had gone there together a number of times to restore the food and water capsules as well as refuel and clean the ship.

The walk took him scarey ten minutes and the lift-ride five minutes more. He walked up to the ship just in time to see Vegeta pop his head out of the engine hatch and yell to the mechanic who was checking equations on his portable vid-screen.

"Hiya guys!" Goku said cheerfully. He smiled at Vegeta who was wiping oil and engine grease of his face with the back of his hand. Or, at least he was trying to. He was really just spreading it around. "How's it goin'?"

"Wonderfully. Just wonderfully. At this rate, we will be stuck on this dirt ball until Freeza their sun goes super nova." He spit onto the hanger floor from his perch on the top of the ship. "There is no doubting now that this is worst designed ship in Quadrant G-7. I should have never let that women build such a hunk of trash." He stepped off the ship and landed in front of Goku on the balls of his feet. "It is a mark on my pride that I have to travel is such a vessel," he complained, growling.

Goku peered over the scowling prince's shoulder at the mechanic. The small smile on the creatures' face told him that Vegeta had probably been speaking in this vein for quiet some time. He was probably hungry.

The taller Saiyan placed a gentle hand on his companion's shoulder. "How about we take a break and get some food. I found a yummy place not far from here yesterday. I think you'll like it." Since his hand was not immediately brushed away, Goku assumed that the suggestion was being considered. He rested his thumb on Vegeta's collar bone.

"Fine." The prince snapped. "Let's go." He started walking at a brisk pace towards the lift. "Those equations better be finished by the time I get back," he intoned loudly without looking back.

Goku gave the creature (a yellow fish-like man with two claws for hands) a smile before hurrying after his companion.

The food stall that Goku had suggested was a tiny establishment. Like all the homes, business and shops on the planet, it had been carved out of the side of the rock towards the bottom of the ravine. This particular place had a scraggly set of steps up to its entrance that were easier to skip and fly to the top of. The ceiling of the restaurant was low – Goku had a stoop a bit once they were inside so he supposed it was intended to serve species that were in the height class below that of a Saiyans'. Much to Goku's amusement, however, Vegeta did not need to stoop although the top of his head did brush the ceiling.

There were seated quickly. It was past the busiest part of mid-day and had not reached a late enough hour that people would coming in for the night-meal. Luckily, the sun was shinning on the opposite side of the ravine so the only heat was emanating from the kitchens. Goku found that he was a comfortable temperature. (The full-body suit kept him from freezing or sweltering; it did little to make him actually comfortable however.)

Vegeta tugged on the collar of his own suit when they sat down and said "We are leaving next week. I hope to finish the repairs by the end of the next two solar cycles. I want to avoid being on this planet when the second sun makes it's month rotation into the planet's orbit." There was still a grease smudge on his cheek.

Goku ordered a few things off the menu by pointing, smiling at the cute, fuzzy waitress (or waiter, he wasn't sure), before speaking. "Oh! I didn't know you were almost done."

"The mechanic is fast. I think he wants me to leave." Vegeta smirked and leaned back in his too-small chair. He bumped his knees on the bottom of the lower table. "I think I gave him a bit of a scare."

The other Saiyan wasn't surprised and as the mechanic was still alive, he was not really concerned either. "Where are we going next?" He paused a moment then added hastily: "Can we go somewhere with a normal temperature?"

Vegeta's lips twitched a bit like they did when Goku could tell he wanted to say something cutting but was restraining himself. "I will show the planet's information when we go back to the ship. Unfortunately, the ship is fast, but the tanks are small. If they were any bigger, we would loose a significant percentage of speed. However, they do not allow us to go far without filling up. The longest flight we could possibly make would be two months. And that does not account for gravity wells of detours." Vegeta relaxed back into his chair and put his hands behind his head.

Goku briefly glanced over that the two creatures that were sitting down at the table next to theirs. The restaurant was densely packed with tables and he that the feeling that it would be quite full when more customers filled the seats. He leaned forward a bit. "I don't care. And plus: who would want to be on a ship longer than that anyways? We would drive each other crazy."

Vegeta's lips tightened and his hands dropped to his lap. "You forget, Kakarrot, that I spend a year in that pod on my way to Earth. And that was certainly not the longest flight I ever completed. You will see that it is necessary to learn ways to keep your mind in the depths of space."

Goku suddenly like a child being chastised by a father and his cheeks grew pink as he blushed. "Yeah," he said softly. Vegeta was looking at him with a slicing expression.

Luckily, the situation was saved by the arrival of their food. Both men's eyes widened and their countenances softened at the delicious smell. Goku was already grabbing a dish as Vegeta flopped back towards the table on his chair.

They ate quickly and efficiently as per usual; each man pushing dishes towards one another when they were done with a particular food. No words were spoken. The last weeks on the ship and on the planet had saw to it that they worked a team to finish even the most basic of tasks.

Eating on the ship had been an especially trying experience. The gravity was set to a sub-Earth level in order to conserve energy. And while all of the supplies were encapsulated, performing many of the most basic functions were difficult. Even Vegeta had to admit that he was unaccustomed to such low Gs.

The gravity was high enough the Saiyans did not just float around the ship, but many supplies did. Maintenance required both men to be present in order to hold tools, adjust flash-lights and grapple with machine parts. Vegeta would take the lead and give directions as he knew significantly more about the machinery.

When eating, the directions were given with body language rather than words. Vegeta would eat as much as he wanted before nudging the bowl in Goku's directions with the slightest push. Goku was mush less hesitant and would set the bowl down in front of the prince when he was finished. Vegeta would pretend not to notice and would carefully finish his portion before moving onto the newly presented food. His eyes would widen sightly, like he had just receive a gift from some deity, and he would munch happily away without ever looking in Goku's direction.

Their meal in the the restaurant continued in this manner, only interrupted once when three individuals sat down at a neighboring table and bumped the Saiyans' table while inching past.

When they were both done, Goku looked around the restaurant like he was coming out of a haze. It was much fuller than when they had arrived and there was a short line of people out the door and standing on the stone steps. He blinked rapidly as the food settled in his stomach. He noticed a contented smile on Vegeta's lips.

"Mmm," He hummed appreciatively. "That was pretty fantastic. I wonder what it was." He rubbed his stomach.

Vegeta made a deep noise in the back of his throat that Goku took as agreement. "Its probably best not to know. Sometimes plants and animals don't look like what you think they should look like."

This statement puzzled Goku, but he didn't press the issue. He had a lot of time to learn. However, he did want to ask the question he thought of earlier. He watched the prince's eyes close and his body tip back again in his chair. "So, I was thinking-" Goku started.

Vegeta lifted a quizzical eyebrow and cracked an eye open. The table to Goku's right was starting to get loud as five brightly colored double-sub-standard height creatures held glasses in the air. They were a lot louder than they looked like they could be.

"Ah, you said that there are no more Saiyans, right?"

Vegeta frowned but said nothing.

Goku continued: "Well, how do you know for sure? 'Cause there are a lot of people here that look like they could be pretty similar."

Vegeta maintained his position in his chair but his other eye opened. He spoke softly and quietly. "I have no solid proof. Just intuition. Saiyans are not exactly..." He trailed off and took a breath. "Saiyans are not liked. They are warriors. And warriors have no place in a peaceful galaxy. Even if there were more survivors after Freeza, I doubt any planet would take them in. Not known killers."

Goku leaned in to match Vegeta's demeanor. "Earth took one in. Wait, no. Earth took two in. I wasn't the most obedient child in the beginning. I used to terrorize my grandfather. Bite him and everything." Goku smiled at the only memories he had of this grandfather. He used to tell him what a little devil he had been. He wondered if Vegeta had been like that as a kid. He didn't think so.

The table to their right had quieted down. "Yes. That sounds like something a low-class Saiyan would do." Vegeta smirked at his own comment, his voice back to its normal, brusque quality. "Biting and clawing. Didn't you have any warrior sense?"

Goku pretended to pout at the jibe but was secretly disappointed the conversation was over. He could take a hint (despite what people thought) and he knew that Vegeta did not want to discuss the matter any more.


	4. Chapter 4

Two days after their conversation, Goku's excitement at their upcoming journey had started to grow. He was never one to stay in one place for very long. Sure, he considered Earth to be a fantastic home. The streams were clear and fresh; the mountains high and rough; and the trees shady and strong.

However, when he did a bit of math, he could easily tell that he really had not spend much time on his beloved planet. There were the times he spent training in other-world, the many months in space, the time spent on other planets, the time spent in the Room of Spirit and Time among other jaunts around the cosmos. Especially after Chi-Chi had died, he had barely spent any time as part of human civilization. He was always looking for a new adventure.

And traveling with Vegeta across the galaxy was just the adventure he was looking for. There were so many people to meet and strong warriors to face. Everything was new and different and nothing was familiar. It was scary, but exciting.

Sitting outside their accommodations on his favorite bench (really an old fuel tank flipped on its side), Goku grinned as he watched the people walk by. They would be leaving in three short days. Vegeta had already finished the updates to the ship and was only waiting for final clearances in order to leave. They had already loaded extra food and water supplies into the ship the day before.

Goku took a bite out of the street food he had bought a few minutes ago and savored the taste. He would probably never eat the same thing ever again. It was delicious, as all foods on sticks tended to be, but he doubted the other planets they would visit would have quite the same foods. He would probably never see – much less taste – a turkey sandwich again or take a big gulp out of a soda. It was all back on Earth.

He hesitated before taking another bite. Would he never return to Earth? It seemed like such a strange eventuality. However, it also seemed natural. He was connected to nothing on the planet and had no reason to return. Chi-Chi and his sons were gone. His grandchildren were gone. His some great-grandchildren were barely hanging on to life and his great-great-grandchildren had no idea who he was. The Saiyan blood he had passed down to them was so diluted by their human blood that they did not feel the thrill of fighting and had concentrated only on human ambitions.

Suddenly he felt alien even to himself. He had considered himself human for so long, even after he had learned from his brother that he was not human, that he had never realized the differences between himself and his human friends. He had never realized that they had grown weary of fighting and training and had concentrated on raising families or other careers. Even Gohan and Goten had settled down with wives and children and had put training to the side as a hobby. But his drive to fight had never been exhausted. He still felt that burning need to achieve new levels; to push his body to its limits.

He took a bite of the meat gingerly off the the stick. He was probably not going back. Earth was just another planet floating in the cosmos.

Just as this thought filtered across his mind, a creature approached the bench and grabbed his arm, surprising him so much that he rose out of the seat. The creature grunted, as it had no translator device, and gestured with a fingerless arm to a group forming on the other side of the street. Out of the corner of his eye, Goku could see other people being rounded up in this manner. The creature gave him a quick shove in the gathering's direction and trotted off the haul someone else over.

Goku shrugged to himself and followed the crowed. The sun was beating down on the group of people, but a tiny stage had been erected in the shaded part of the street closest to the other side of the ravine. This particular street was an average width with plenty of room for storefronts, street vendors, and a pedestrian walkway. All the vendors' carts had been pulled off to the side and the store keepers were all leaning on their doorways. The tenets of the apartments overlooking the street were hanging out their windows to listen in.

The Saiyan found himself uncomfortably close to those in the crowd. The creature to his left smelled of rotting olives and the one in front had course hairs that were tickling his arms. Luckily, he thought, no one was blocking his view. He had not yet become accustomed to being one of the shorter individuals.

A hush descended on the crowd as a portly alien took the stage. He had a translator around his neck, but he spoke in quick Standard instead. Goku felt, for the umpteenth time since they had arrived, grateful to the people of Yardrat for teaching him Standard along with the Instant Transmission technique. A translator was effective, but bulky, if he happened to be caught in a fight, and easily breakable.

The alien cleared its throat and rubbed two large, six-fingered hands around on its large, greenish belly. "Citizens and visitors, I have been instructed to report to you that a dangerous creature has defiled the sanctity of out planet." A wave of whispers and grumbles rippled through the crowd but no one shouted out. "As you all know," the alien continued "After the fall of the Tyrant Freeza, the citizens of the galaxy have made great strides in keeping dangerous races at bay and have defended themselves against those peoples who are driven to violence."

A few cheers erupted from members of the crowd while many clapped or stomped in agreement. Goku found himself clapping as well. It sounded like these people were working towards a great cause. And they had apparently been doing a good job since Freeza had died many decades before. His eyes narrowed at the thought that some upstart was trying to ruin it for everyone.

The alien continued on, his bravado increased at the crowd's response. "Unfortunately, someone has taken it upon himself to deny the citizens of the galaxy the right to peace. A report has gone out from a Central Mothership that a dangerous member of a race thought previously to have been extinct is on this planet as we speak."

A few shouts rang out from the crowd in accented Standard and other languages. "Who is he, you ask? Who is he?" The alien cried, throwing his hands up in the air. The crowd cheered in response – their level of excitement growing.

"He is a man possessed by anger and violence. A man who can transform into something terrible. He is a vestige of a time of killing and rape; a man who does not belong in a galaxy of peace and harmony!"

Goku held his breath at the speaker's pause as the rest of the spectators leaned in to catch the words that were so softly and fearfully spoken. " My friends, a Saiyan is on our precocious planet."

Before the alien's words could soak in, Goku's energy immediately dropped in an instinctive attempt to hide himself. The soft hairs on the back of his neck shot up as he became painfully aware of how many creatures surrounded him. His eyes darted around taking in doorways and windows that he could escape to. He glanced up to see if a flight escape was possible. His hands formed fists and he bent his knees in anticipation of an attack as his tail constricted his thigh in his panic.

But the crowd gasped and took a collective step back. The scraggly creature in front of Goku bumped into him while letting out a short shriek of fear. A few other members of the crowd screamed or wailed in their shock and despair.

"My friends!" The speaker called again, pulling their attention to the stage. "We must approach this with intelligence and cunning. We must not burn and pillage in our fear. We must find this animal and defend ourselves until a Squadron sent from the Race can assist us." The crowd seemed cheered at those words.

Goku was still reacting based on instincts. His eyes were continuously searching the forms around him for signs that showed he was recognized. The Saiyan's breath was coming in short, sharp bursts and his ears were strained to catch the smallest sound of warning. His nostrils flared with each painfully tense breath.

The man on the stage was shouting something else when a hand slammed down on Goku's shoulder. He tensed and prepared to shoot up into the air and find Vegeta. "Calm down there, young one," the alien behind him said in what Goku assumed was meant to be a soothing tone of voice. "The Saiyan is not going to jump out right now. In a few days, you'll probably hear that the Race bagged him before any harm could be done. They're good at that stuff you know."

Goku forced himself to nod slowly and turn to face the other being. "Ah," he said, trying to look nonchalant as he raised his hand to the back of his neck – a move he know made him look young and naive. "Its just a little scary, you know."

The other man nodded, a large beard of purple tentacles bobbing up and down. "I hear ya. But stuff like this happens all the time. Yo must be new if you aren't used to it by now. Why, just a year ago, a female Ice Lizard was found giving birth in the warehouse down by Hanger Three. Just imagine if those-" He was interrupted by a cheer from the crowd "little life-suckers had gotten out. They have broods of five or more! We would have all been dead within the month."

Goku tried to look relieved at the news, but bile began to rise in his stomach. "And, ah, what happened?"

"Well," the creature said, looking up into the sky as to unearth an old memory. He pulled a long-nailed hand through his beard. "Once somebody discovered them, the Race sent a Squadron – just like they are doing with this Saiyan, mind you – and they took them all away. Dunno what happened to them after that. But they didn't ever come back, if ya know what I mean."

"- vigilant watch and we shall overcome!" The announcer was shouting as he stepped off the podium. Goku glanced towards the front before nodding back to his informer. The crowd began to disperse, whispering among themselves.

"So," Goku started, his breathing starting to even out. Thoughts were pounding in his head. "What does a Saiyan look like? Have you ever seen one?" He prayed that his question would not lead the man to realization that the Saiyan was standing in front of him. Goku thought bitterly that his strategy of channeling Vegeta was bound to back-fire. He simply lacked the same finesse as the prince.

"Well, I don't think I know," the man said. He turned to his right and addressed another creature who resembled him. Goku thought they must be the same race. "Do you know, Ribble? They were all died out before I was born. And most are not permitted to watch footage from Freeza's War Agaisnt the Citizens of the Galaxy."

The other creature ran his hand through his beard as well and looked up into the sky in an eerie caricature of the first. "Nope. Don't know. I'm not that much older than you. All those Saiyans were long gone. Died out about three Cycles ago. I don't think many will remember what they looked like. Not many people are that old you see." He looked straight at Goku. "Might make finding the monster a bit difficult."

Goku laughed nervously. "Yeah! How are we supposed to find him in nobody knows what he looks like!" Secretly, he could not believe his good luck. Apparently, no one had a clue. He wondered if Vegeta knew that his race was such an obscure myth as to be unrecognizable. Maybe they could just leave in three days like they had planned and no one would know the difference.

He smiled at the two aliens and thanked them before making a beeline towards the hotel room he and Vegeta were staying in. His ki still remained low, but his breathing had returned to normal and his tail had relaxed in its place around his thigh. On the short walk, in the lobby and on the lift, no one gave him a second glance.

For a moment, he even thought his room chip would not function. But, it beeped as always and the door swung open to reveal a small room complete with a table and chairs, a bed and a tiny vid-screen. Not a piece of furniture was out of place or an object moved. He had almost expected all the chairs to be smashed on the floor and Vegeta's blood smeared on the walls.

Instead, the prince was bend over a tablet on the table, his tail waving in the air behind him. Goku smiled in relieve at the comforting and gloriously normal sight.

Vegeta graced him with a glance as he shut the door and sat down on the only other chair. "Kakarrot," he said mildly in greeting.

"Vegeta," Goku said back.

The two sat in silence while the shorter Saiyan punched in information into the tablet. He had been working non-stop on equations for the ship over the last day, making sure that there were not mistakes in the guidance system. One error and they could go careening into a gas giant or crash onto some slow-moving asteroid.

In the silence of the small room, Goku wondered if he didn't look enough like a Saiyan to the effect that people would not recognize him. The only other Saiyans he knew looked nothing like him and he looked nothing like him. And, there were so many other humanoid creatures out there. He looked just as much like any of them than he looked like Vegeta.

But would Vegeta be more recognizable? Goku knew that the prince was famous in his earlier years. Did people still recognize his image? They were both much older in years, but basically unchanged in appearance. Sure, Vegeta had gotten a bit taller and was not quite so lanky, but his face was the same.

He was drawn out of his musings as Vegeta switched off the tablet and leaned back his chair. He stretched his arms up over his head as his tail mimicked the movement. "No talk of eating, Kakarrot? You must have had your fill with that sweet Jarku from yesterday." The grin on his face was feral and he only smirked more when Goku blushed.

He fiddled with his t-shirt. "She was so pretty..."

The prince scoffed as his tail settled over his forearm, on the arm of the chair, in a lazy gesture. Goku's tail was hardly so expressive. He could barely keep it from dragging on the ground – a problem he did not remember having as a child.

Goku forced himself too abandon his embarrassment. He had only stared, after all. Vegeta always made the littlest thing into a big deal.

"Ah, Vegeta, do you remember my question from the other day? About Saiyans, I mean," he added quickly.

Vegeta's smirk quickly turned into a neutral face. Goku took that as an affirmative that he did remember. " Well, is it possible that any of them are on this planet, right now?"

"Why?" The prince snarled. "Don't tell me you saw one."

"No no! Not at all. But there was a guy right outside saying that there is one on the planet." He hesitated to continue but Vegeta's impatient glare forced the words out of his mouth in a rush. "And they think that the Saiyan is dangerous and they are going to find it and give it to some galactic police force people and it happened before with a person like Freeza only that person was a girl and she had babies -"

Vegeta dropped raised an eyebrow and Goku snapped his mouth shut. Why did he always make a fool of himself?

"So, it is possible they are looking for us." Vegeta put a finger to this temple. "And why weren't you recognized? You were standing right there I assume."

Goku nodded. "Yeah, no one seemed to know me. I asked someone what a Saiyan looks like – to be sure, ya know – and he had no idea. He said that most people didn't."

"And a person like Freeza?" Vegeta prompted.

"Well, the same guy said that a year ago, a female of Freeza's race was found by these police people and never seen again. He said she was pregnant too."

A second finger joined the first on the prince's temple. Sometimes, if felt like the galaxy moved at a snail's pace. It took massive amounts of time to travel anywhere. News was sometimes as slow to spread as new innovations. When you were traveling a year to another planet under gas, it was difficult to keep up with new information. He had forgotten how fast news could travel when people were frightened; even when it was across light-years.

He wondered if someone had actually recognized either himself or Goku. Neither of them had exactly been secretive about their nature or point of origin. Although, neither had they powered up in the street and announced their presence with a flash of ki. He had considered his race to be a moot point.

If anyone recognized him as a servant of Freeza, they were hardly one to point him out. He had been quite careful to dispose of any being who saw him on a mission. As a member of Freeza's attack force, he was not permitted to have a public image. He could be needed for under-cover operations where his face would be just one of the crowd. Only soldiers like Zarbon and Dodoria were actually known around Freeza' empire (and outside of it). Vegeta's own face was not a known to the general public. So, if someone did recognize him now, that would mean they were also a member of Freeza's army and unlikely to call him out.

Vegeta took a breath before speaking. "I see no reason to panic, but we should probably leave as soon as possible. The day after tomorrow. I have to be cleared by the docking manager first. And, we need to fill the tanks. I don't want this whole escapade to be over before it started."

Goku nodded, his eyes serious. "Are we in danger here? I don't really want to hurt anyone to get away, but I'm certainly not going to be arrested and thrown in jail."

"I highly doubt we will be arrested. If you say that they Iceian was never seen again, then she was probably slaughtered along with her hatchlings. I suggest that we are not caught. I have no desire to involve myself in some sort of galaxy-wide hunt where I am the prey."

Vegeta stood from his chair and went to the single window over-looking the street far below. "Stay inside until then. We will get off this rock as soon as possible."


	5. Chapter 5

The two days between their conversation and their intended launch date dragged on for the two Saiyans. Vegeta had little work to do that involved going to the hanger and he had even less to do in the rented room. He had taken up doing one-armed push-ups as a hobby. He traded between seeing how many he could do in a minute to seeing how long he could push himself up into a one-armed handstand without his ki. Unfortunately, he was quite good at both of these endeavors and the challenge was negligible.

Goku was having a lightly easier time. The room's large window over looked the street and the fourth floor was not so high up that he couldn't see the people wondering around below. He found it surprising how few actually flew by the window. Mostly everyone on the planet seemed to be confined to the ground. But none the less, they were still interesting to him. Vegeta was beginning to think that Goku would never get his fill of looking.

On the second day of waiting, early in the morning before the sun had touched the canyon walls, Vegeta woke Goku with a rough shake and threw the Saiyan's clothes on the bed. "Get up. We are leaving now."

The room was completely dark, but both Saiyans were able to easily move about. They packed up what few belongings they had brought (really just Vegeta's tablet and a change of clothes) into a backpack that Goku shouldered. Vegeta zipped up his light jacket to the chin and they were out the door.

They left the room key on the counter at the front desk and slipped outside without seeing anyone.

"Should we fly or walk?" Asked Goku. He kept his voice down in the quiet streets. There were a few people milling about. Most of them had horrendously large eyes or were of extra-standard height. They were creatures that liked either the dark or the cold.

And it certainly was dark and cold. There were a few stars lighting the night, but no street signs were on and there were no lamps lighting the streets. The temperature had also plummeted. Both Goku and Vegeta could feel their temperature suits heating up to stave off the horribly cold breeze. Goku had the horrible thought that if they stayed outside much longer, his nose might fall off from the cold. He gathered some ki around his body. "I think we should fly."

"And I think we should walk," Vegeta said gruffly. He had jammed his hands in his pockets and had buried his nose into the collar of his jacket. The fabric muffled his words. "Quickly, however." The prince took off at quick pace down the street and Goku jumped to keep up."Flying will look strange."

The cold spurred them faster than normally through the narrow streets of the canyons and they reached the hanger transport quickly. Luckily, it was in operation at all times and worked on a timer. They had to speak to no one on their way. It did not take long for them to reach the lift and climb aboard.

Through the grate of the lift, as it rose up from the floor of the hanger, Goku could see the ship was right where it should have been and it looked exactly as it had when he had saw it a few days before. Vegeta had told him that they were fully stocked with food and fuel and that was all he needed to know. Anything beyond that and he lost interest. Bulma had always tried to talk to hi about her projects but he had never really understood. He was suddenly glad Vegeta knew what he was doing. He would not of gotten very far on his own.

As they stepped off, Vegeta sucked in a sharp breath of air and yanked him behind some large composite storage containers stacked ten feet high. "Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit," he was hissing under his breath. "Fuck Kakarrot, start praying to your Kais that they didn't see us." The hair on his arms was standing on end in his agitation and his nostrails flared widely.

Goku hadn't even seen them. "Who?" he asked. "I didn't see anyone." The ship had looked just fine. And there didn't seem to be anyone milling around this level of the hanger. "You're hallucinating or something." He started to step backwards to look fully around the edge of the boxes.

Vegeta sneered at him and yanked him again by the front of his shirt, away from the edge of the containers. "I am not, you moron." Spittle flew from his mouth "Look around as fast as you can. Squint a little, if you have to. They are standing right in front of the rear landing strut."

Goku shrugged, but did as he was bidden. He crouched and crept to the edge of he containers and squinted. For a moment, he saw nothing. And then, the air shivered and twisted and there was something standing there. And then that shiver stilled and a few other shivers appeared. These moved backwards towards the hull of the ship that cast a darker shadow on the hanger floor.

He squinted harder at the sight and leaned forward slightly to get a better view. His eyes were swimming with effort to place what he was seeing. The shiver of air began to look more solid the shadow. What ever it was, it was tall. It was probably as tall as Cell at the androids' highest point. And, it was humanoid. Goku could barely make out two legs and a head on each of the spirits.

He sat back behind the containers. Vegeta was crouched next to him on the floor. "How many?" He asked.

Goku shrugged. "Three. Maybe four or five. I can't really see."

Vegeta sat back on his haunches and closed his eyes. "This is a problem. We need to get on the ship."

"Who are they?" Goku asked.

"The same race who found that Iceian. It appears that they have grown in strength with the downfall of Frieza. During the Empire, they were worth little consideration. Frieza had destroyed their home worlds and scattered them. Looks like they bounced back just fine."

He eyes opened and they swiveled over to Goku. "They are not more powerful in strength." He paused for a moment; his mouth set in a firm, serious line. "But we will not be able to kill them."

That was an odd concept to consider for Goku. Sure, tactical intelligence and cunning had some place in a fight. But, at least normally for him, sheer strength of ability and power won the fight every time. Sometimes he just needed a little strength from other creatures, but it was still the same concept.

Goku frowned. "Then what do we do? I can barely see them." He peeked around the edge again and squinted. Where they even still there? He didn't see the air moving like it had.

"We capsulize the ship," Vegeta said softly behind him. It was the tone he took on when he was planning. "We capsulize the ship and launch from the planets' surface or get aboard some other transport to leave the planet."

The taller Saiyan turned back towards him. "Where is the key pad? I don't remember seeing it."

"Its on the top of the ship. Just below the cock pit neck. It is only one button."

Goku nodded but his eyes narrowed in contemplation. "That's a good spot for us. But they're bound to notice when the ship disappears."

Vegeta paused, but he pointed to their left and towards the center of the hanger. It was shaped like an enormous hexagon; the hanger descended deep into the planet's crust, and the lower levels were difficult to see from the top. The levels all rimmed the outside; but, the center was an open well all the way up to the monstrous hanger doors that opened to the planets' surface. "We can blast out through the top. The doors are large, but not thick. They are not engineered to stop cannon fire; just to keep the hanger dry and the temperature stable."

Goku nodded again as Vegeta continued. "I'll capsulize the ship. I know where the panel is and I'm faster than you." He paused and glanced at Goku. "You fly up – without being noticed – to the top of the hanger and get ready to blast a hole as soon as the ship is safe. And fire at anything that moves. Even if it looks like air."

The air felt thicker in Goku's mouth. This was an enemy that he did not understand. He could barely even see them, might as well know their weaknesses and follies. Vegeta seemed to know a little more. But he was as un-forthcoming as ever. It was useless to ask questions; he would talk when he wanted to. Their plan was as hasty as any they had ever made. But Vegeta seemed apprehensive and impatient. He looked just about ready to pull out his own hair, make a friendship bracelet and tie it around Goku's ankle while singing campfire songs.

"Right," he said. "I'll follow your ki after you go through the hole. Just lower it whenever you think we are far enough away." He added silently in his mind since Vegeta was sure to understand: "I don't want to be hunted."

He reached up and tightened the straps on the backpack. Over Vegeta's shoulder, he could see that the floors of the hanger were accessible by a skinny portal connected by a steel ladder. The level they were on was easily five stories high. It was one of the lower levels, the smallest levels being closets to the top of the hanger.. Thankfully, since the ladder was tucked away around some air ducks and other machinery, it looked like any easy way up. He could use his instant transmission since there was no ki signature to home in on.

Vegeta gave him a hard, quick glance before dashing away from their hiding spot. Goku easily lost sight of him in the jumble of supplies, ships, transport vehicles and terminals that littered the floor of the hanger. Goku quickly glanced back around the corner of the containers. He could see a few shivers in the air, but that was it.

"Oh well," he thought silently to himself with a shrug. "Let's go, old boy."

Silence and stealth had never been his strong points. He was thankful that Vegeta had volunteered to sneak on top of ship. What ever plan he himself might have come up with would have ended with a loud thump and a possible explosion. Blowing up something was much more his style.

Goku checked his back pack straps one more time before sneaking off to the ladder. From a far, it looked sturdy enough, but up close he could tell that it was quite old. That red paint he had seen was really red rust. He would make racket if he attempted a climb.

Flying was also out of the question. Vegeta had not said if these creatures could sense them. ("Why didn't I ask that?" He mumbled to himself under his breath.) But, they could easily have some sort of scouter device. He looked up at the round portal to the next level. He would have to jump.

The tall Saiyan glanced around the small section of the level that he could see. Vegeta was still hiding.

He pushed the smallest bit of ki into his leg muscles when he jumped. It was a common technique that he had used in his younger years before flying and fighting in the air had become the status quo. "It was a good technique," he thought as he grasped the rim of the portal and pulled himself up through the hole and onto the floor of the next level.

Now he was completely separated from view from the creatures by the ship. But, he was still carefully not to make any noise. This level was slightly smaller than the last and he needed even less ki to jump all the way.

The next seven levels were similar, the last being so low (since it was mostly used for planet-side transport vehicles and maintenance equipment) that he simply had to give a good jump and he could land on his feet on the top level. There, the engine that opened the hanger door made the air hot and sticky. The floor was soaked in engine oil. He started sweating.

Quickly, he ran over to the center of the level overlooking the entire hanger. From that height, he could not see all the way down to the bottom of the pit where the biggest ships were harbored. Goku crouched on the edge of chasm and readied himself. Since he could not see, he could only wait. There would most certainly be shouting. Especially if Vegeta was involved. He smiled at the thought. There would also certainly be some swearing.

His wait was not long, within minutes, a shout echoed around the cavernous pit along with the distinct sounds of weapons fire. His body was already moving in anticipation. He could feel Vegeta's ki ignite like a flame somewhere below him just as a loud pop sounded around the hanger.

Goku launched himself off the edge of the floor and fired a low, steady blast with one flat hand while pointing a finger down towards the dark bottoms of the pit. The hanger doors easily began to melt under the heat. He saw a flash and aimed at the point of origin, firing off a small bolt of energy with his index finger. Another flash, this one aiming up, and he fired again.

The door was oozing and dripping with hot metal before he caught the faint touch of the cold night air on his senses. Instantly, the hole was large enough for a human-sized shape to fit though and he broke they blast off from his hand.

Immediately, both his arms came up in reaction as a bolt of energy flew past him and struck the doors. It missed, but more bolts were coming. He squinted, but could still see almost nothing- they were too far away.

And then Vegeta was tearing past him and out through the hole in a blaze of blue ki and curses. The prince's eyes were narrowed in concentration. The taller Saiyan caught a glimpse of a gash on Vegeta's side where his shirt had been ripped and a clean red line was started to bloom open.

Goku followed him through the hole more slowly, careful not to touch the molten metal that his ki had created, giving the creatures behind them a few more shots for good measures. A smile lit up his face as his head caught the freezing winds that ripped over the surface of the planet. It meant they had almost made it out. Vegeta would not have left without the ship.

He shot into the sky and locked onto his companion's ki. The other Saiyan was still speeding away from the site, although, not at full speed. Goku twisted around in the air and burst after him with a swirl of his own ki.

The younger Saiyan opened his mouth to shout that they should descend and hide when something soft exploded on the side of his head. There was powder every where. It was in his ear and his hair. He could feel it gritting the surface his eyes and coating his tongue. And then it was in his nose and he felt his ki scattering out from under his control.

He was dropping out of the sky but could not control himself. The air rushed by even faster than it had, making the powder swirl around his nose and mouth. His body flipped over itself a few times as he fell – his inner ear completely destroyed. He could not even manage to bring his hands away from his face to help control his fall.

He coughed and spit in an attempt to breath. But it was choking him slowly and he was falling with wild abandon. Panic set in as he opened his mouth to yell, but even more rushed in at his intake of breath and coated the back of his throat. His eyes burned and his ears were straining at the rush of blood to his head as he choked and coughed.

The ground came up fast and he struck the hard soil painfully. The air rushed out of his lung at the impact and he was left gasping and chocking at he tried to breath in again. But the powder was cloging his throat and had turned into a cement like ball lodging in the back of his mouth.

The wind was harsh and cold, but it could not scour the powder form his face. Goku squeezed his eyes shut as they leaked tears in an attempt to clean themselves and rolled over onto his knees.

He had never felt so sick. The powder was try and thick. It choked him with how dry it was. Blindly, he reached two fingers down his throat and gagged himself. The vomit was acidic, putrid, filled with the previous night's small dinner and all over himself, but he could breath through his mouth.

The panic subsided slightly as he gulped in huge mouth-fulls of air. He reached out automatically for his ki again. But he could not grasp it. It ran like a stream all around him. But, every time his dipped his hand to drink, its course changed.

He reached again and again. He began to panic again and wiped furiously at his eyes. He pulled his t-shirt up and tried to clean his face off, but nothing changed. He could not feel the other life forms on the planet and he could not feel Vegeta.

Still rubbing at his face, he sunk to the ground and rested his forehead on the rocks. "Take a deep breath," said Chi-Chi's voice in his head. "Take a deep breath." He imagined her sitting down at the kitchen table and folding her apron on her lap.

Another voice interrupted his thoughts. The powder in his ears muffled and distorted the sound. But he could not mistake the foot in his ribs. "This is it?" It asked.

"It is." Said someone else.

Goku angled his face up painfully and tried to stand. Another kick sent him sprawling back the ground. He sense of balance was gone along with his eyesight and his inner ear. His nose still burned and his eyes were crusting over in their attempt to push the powder out. All his tears did was make it stickier.

A cloth was pressed to his mouth. Goku's head swam and his limbs became heavy. All his blood rushed to his brain. He passed out on the planet's surface.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Vegeta could, at the very least, be thankful about one small detail: he was in much better condition than Goku. The other Saiyan was a hot mess. His face and neck were swollen, red and raw. His eyelids were so blown up that his eyes remained swollen shut even after the powder was hosed off of him. The shirt on his back was clinging on desperately. Underneath the fabric, Vegeta could make out the tell-tale signs of deep scrapes in the skin.

More concerning, however, was that Goku's ears continued to leek a small dribble of blood. It mixed well with the water running from his eyes and the substance they had both been sprayed with.

The guards had been rather hands off so far in their treatment of the prisoners. Vegeta had already been in the cell when they had dropped Goku in beside him in a rush. No words were exchanged, neither comforting nor confrontational. And, no blows had been dealt.

Then, Goku had been even more useless. He was still passed out from the drug and did not even wake to Vegeta's slaps. Not that Vegeta tried particularity hard. He could barely even make out a face underneath the filth that was covering the other Saiyan. The powder had obviously exploded on the side of his face; essentially right in his ear. The area had been covered in the sticky substance that was caked on thick due to blood and tears. His eyes had been crusted over with the powder and were leaking both water and a thick pus-like substance. Vegeta had dimly hoped it was not an eyeball pouring out. His nose had been in similar condition to his eyes; crusted over but not bleeding. And around his mouth, vomit and powder had cracked on his dry lips and had been smeared down his chin and onto his shirt.

Overall, it had been a nasty sight. The powder had a deep red hue which disguised any damage beneath its surface. But, it had given Goku's face the appearance of a skull caved in at the ear; leaking blood and brains onto his t-shirt. The fact that he had not roused for some time had weighted on Vegeta's mind.

Then they had both been momentarily drowned in a down-pour of water from above and Goku had sputtered awake screaming, surging to his feet and clawing at his face.

"Kakarrot. You will only make the damage worse. Sit down and stay still," had all Vegeta had needed to say. Goku had had froze in recognition and then instantly dropped back down into the shallow pool of water that had formed at the bottom of the cell and let his hands fall away with a small splash.

They both had sat in silence as the water in the cell continued to rise slowly and the shower of droplets from above relieved them of most of the powder and dirt on their clothes and faces. It was cool and comforting to Vegeta's aching bones.

And then the water had drained away, a fan had whirled to life somewhere in the wall and they had been left to wallow in pain and boredom respectively. Goku said nothing and Vegeta said nothing. They were still.

It had been hours.

Yet, his energy remained just out of reach even after all the red powder was washed away. He could feel it spinning and swirling around him in a cruel caricature of its normal, refined state. When he reached for it, it skittered away like a dancer. "Like a drunken whore of a dancer," Vegeta said out loud, though mostly to himself.

His mind was in a restful, yet blank state. He could think about Kakarrot pitifully groveling on the floor, his body curled up into a feeble ball. He could think about the way his hair still dripped with water, the fact that his jeans were soaked through, and the fact that his socks were sloshing around in his sneakers.

But, he could not focus on the wall at his back or the electromagnetic field that held both them and the water in the small confined area. No. He could not focus on the cool air flowing in through the vent near the floor. His head was swimming when the cool air brushed his face and chilled him under his wet clothes.

Kakarrot moved; sloshing around in the water like a drowned dog. He moaned, deep in his chest and struggled to his knees. "Urgh," he groaned, clutching his head. "Urgh."

"Yes," Vegeta drawled, his tongue thick and his worlds slurred. "Very helpful of you. Please, keep up the advice."

The other Saiyan brought his hands up from where they had been dangling at his side and covered his face. "Urgh."

Vegeta closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall. "You're bleeding, fool. Out of your ears." He could not say anything else. His head felt heavy on his shoulders. His eyes felt dry in their sockets.

"How long have we been here?" Kakarrot asked, his hands muffling his voice.

Vegeta snorted and shifted to a more comfortable position; one knee drawn up to his chest and the other leg stretched out just a hair's length away from the edge of their confinement. He shrugged. "A while."

"Oh," Goku said, unhelpfully.

The taller Saiyan moved slowly over to sit next to the prince. He tenderly dabbed at the cuts on his face and at his swollen eyes. "You don't look half bad, Vegeta."

Vegeta said nothing. The pounding behind his eyelids was getting stronger.

Goku sighed. "What's happened since we got here? Did you just wake up?"

"Nothing has happened other than our impromptu shower. I expect nothing else to happen for quite sometime."

Goku nodded slowly. "I can't collect my energy. They shot me with something – urgh, it was awful – and I hit the ground." He let his head fall forward to his chest. "I know its there... it just isn't."

Vegeta grunted and Goku took that as affirmation that yes, he had had a similar experience, but no, he was not willing to share.

He continued on. "That stuff... I didn't know there was such a thing. But I don't understand." His voice took on a frustrated edge and his first clenched on his lap. "Its not on me now. Why can't I do anything." Goku ground his jaw in momentary anger.

He gave Vegeta a glance out of the corner of his eyes. "You don't look as beat up, but you are a funny color. You okay?" He titled his head a bit and his eyebrows rose up. Vegeta though he looked preposterous with that swollen face and split lip.

"No," the prince said. "My stomach is about to erupt out of my nose. Now shut up. And start thinking. I want to get out of here."

"You feel sick? I don't feel sick." Goku reached up and felt the other Saiyan's forehead. "You don't feel hot."

Vegeta opened his eyes and the room started to spin. He tried to glare at his companion. "Look, fool. They will question us and if we don't say anything they like, they will kill us. I want to leave before that happens."

"Oh." Goku sat back against the wall again. "I'll start thinking."

Vegeta squashed the apprehension of a Kakarrot-fueled-escape-plan growing in his gut and forced himself to sleep, the whirring of the fan creating the perfect white noise.

And the same fan woke him up when it shut off with an audible groan and click. He felt immensely more focused and less nauseous. His energy had not returned, but his mind was at least working properly. His tail wrapped itself around his thigh from where it had been laying, almost pitifully, on the floor beside him.

The room was still bathed in a florescent white light and nothing had changed outside of their small enclosure. Goku had laid down on the now dry floor. His tail was draped carelessly over his hip as his slept.

Vegeta leaned over the other Saiyan's body to quickly assess his face. The swelling around his eyes had decreased, but most of the cuts no his body still glinted with fresh blood. However, the blood around his ears was dry and dark. The bleeding had at least stopped there. The Saiyan's breathing was deep and peaceful meaning he had not pierced a lung when he had dropped out of the sky.

The prince pushed out his bent leg and kicked the other man in the back. "Wake up, Kakarrot." His voice was gruff from sleep. "We may be getting company."

Goku rolled onto his back and squeezed his eyelids together. "I was just getting to the best part."

Vegeta kicked him lightly again just as the lights dimmed so far that they were almost left in total darkness. His nose pricked as the decrease in one sense led to his other senses flaring to acute perception. The smooth floor below his palm felt lined with striations and the air was suddenly alive with the smell of the vestiges of a thousand different alien lifeforms.

Goku shot up into a low crouch. "What going on?" His nose crinkled up and his nostrils flared. The Saiyan brought his tail up to a cocky position straight up behind him with the tip slightly bent; a sign of communication Saiyans made to each other before a fight.

The electromagnetic field marking the edge of their cell dropped with a fizzle.

"The field keeps out sound as well as matter. We would not be able to converse if it remained activated."

Both Saiyan's faces swung to the sound of the voice. Goku pivoted on one foot to keep his body fully facing his captor. However, the unusual position of his tail caused him to wobble.

The person they saw was exactly what Vegeta had not wanted to see. Someone he could never kill.

"Your just a boy!" Goku exclaimed. He let his tail drop and he shifted out of his defensive stance.

The boy smiled, his teeth a bright, unsullied white. The smile lit his entire face and his eyes shown. "Oh, not a boy. Although, you are correct in assuming that I am no threat." He took a few more steps into the room and sat cross-legged in front of where the electromagnetic field would have been.

Vegeta grit his teeth. The boy was no boy, he was sure. He moved with grace and poise learned from experience. It was possible that he was older than both Saiyans. There was on real way to tell. He had the body of a sixteen year old human.

"A beautiful sixteen year old," amended Vegeta in his mind. The boy was fit with defined arms and legs and no hint of a stomach. His hair was a bright golden blond that fell softly around his ears and seemed to float on some conjured breeze. And his eyes were a striking blue framed by long golden lashes.

"Aren't you supposed to be see-through?" Goku asked. He sat down on the floor next to Vegeta and leaned forward slightly. "Well, I guess you are. A bit."

He was correct. The more Vegeta looked at the boy, the more he realized he could look through him. Yet, the room was dark enough the make the boy's skin glow like a new tan. He was completely naked. The center of his body was easiest to see, but towards the ends of his fingers and toes, his mass seemed to disappear into nothing. As Vegeta's eyes traveled down his arms, his golden skin slowly gave way to the wall behind him.

The boy threw back his head a laughed. "Not see-through. No. Just difficult to see. The lighting helps, for your kind. We have found that the darkness makes it easier to see the Light."

Goku gave the boy a tiny smile with the corners of his mouth. Vegeta could tell that he was thinking. "Oh." He said.

The boy smiled again, his golden hair whispering around his face. His voice sounded like bells tinkling in a field of windblown grass and the sweet smell of his skin drifted over to Vegeta's nose with almost pompous languor.

"I have been assigned to oversee your care here. We are part of the United Trade Planets and therefore must adhere to Universal rules and regulations regarding treatment of prisoners and felons. You will be treated with the utmost respect until your time with us ends."

He was still smiling but Vegeta felt the twinges of apprehension seep into his mind. He would bet that their time was limited.

"Are their any questions so far? I will do my best to answer."

Goku raised his hand on instinct but thankfully had the presence of mind to look embarrassed. "Ah, where are we, exactly?"

"Vessel R305B of the Fleet. The ship is still grounded on the planet. We will be rejoining our Mother when our work here is completed." The boy placed his hands in his lap. "Anything else?"

Goku glanced over at Vegeta. "Uh, yeah. What exactly did we do? Cause I don't think I did something bad. We only just got here." The Saiyan frowned as his eyes dropped to the floor. "I'm not real sure why we're being arrested."

The boy smiled again. Vegeta suddenly remembered that he disliked people who smiled too much. "That is a difficult question. But one that I am fully equipped to answer as I have been assigned to your stay here." He paused. "You are being detained by the Race acting as an emissary of the United Trade Planets in reaction to the role of the Saiyan race played in Freeza's War Against the Citizens of the Galaxy. The Saiyan race has been deemed, by the United Trade Planets, to be a volatile and anti-peace faction. Therefore, under Galaxy law, any Saiyan found must and will be questioned by Race operatives and judged for their crimes."

"And what are our crimes? How can you think we were part of that war?" Goku's voice had taken on a slightly panicked tone. His tail was feebly lifting itself up from the floor. "That was ages ago..." His voice trailed off.

The boy responded quickly. "The United Trade Planets have decided that any Saiyan would have taken part in the war under the command of Freeza if they had been alive during that time period. Therefore, all Saiyans are at risk for committing heinous crimes against the Citizens of the Galaxy at any time. It is in their nature."

Vegeta already knew where this conversation was heading. And, with once glance at Goku's face, he could see the hard realization blooming under the Saiyan's eyes. "You mean, just because we are Saiyans, you think we are killers?"

"Exactly." The boy smiled. Vegeta wanted to smack it off his face.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

When Goku cracked his eyes open after a fitful sleep, the lights in the room were still bright. As soon as the boy had left, they had returned to their previous brilliance. The room was empty beyond their tiny prison just as it had been before.

He sat up slowly, his muscles and tendons protesting. His body still hurt. The cuts on his face and chest were no longer bleeding but they had not started to itch yet. This side of his face where he had been struck by the powder throbbed but his hearing was minimally returned to normal. The bleeding had long since stopped. But his bones still ached from his jarring impact on the surface of the planet and his body felt stiff. He wished he still had their bag with their changes of clothes. He needed a new shirt; his was almost shredded.

Their prison was not helping him recover. Since they had arrived, they had been given no medical support other than the shower. No one had been sent into tend to their wounds and no medical supplies had been delivered so they could bandage themselves. Also, they had not had a bite to eat. Goku's stomach had since stopped protesting and had – as it felt like to him – decided to consume itself.

Luckily, the absence of food made their cell much cleaner than it would have been otherwise. Neither Goku nor Vegeta had been able to discover any sort of waste receptacle. They had resorted to pissing in the corner. The smell was almost unbearable and it permeated the air. He had never had a problem with nudity or urinating outdoors, but opening his jeans in front of his partner to piss in the confined space was humiliating. And, he felt even more embarrassed and shamed when Vegeta had to do the same.

They both smelled awful. Despite their 'shower' earlier, the combined sweat and piss of the two left a stale taste in the air. He could feel it in his nose and on the back of his tongue. Combined with his hunger, he could feel the bile rising in his throat occasionally and had to quickly swallow it back down before he added yet another pungent scent to the room. The fan that was always blowing into the room was doing a horrible job of circulating fresh air.

He leaned back against the solid wall of their cage next to Vegeta, trying to rid his thoughts of the past few hours. The prince had been the exact same position the entire stay. He had no visible injuries, but his face was still pallid and shadowed. The bags under his eyes were getting darker by the hour and his lips had taken on a rather alarming greenish tinge. The prince still had one knee drawn up to his chest while the other leg sprawled out in front of him; glove-less hands in his lap. His black t-shirt clung to his torso and was darkened by sweat. Every now and then, his lips would rise in a snarl.

Goku tried to smile at his friend even though his eyes were shut tight. He could tell the other was awake. "So, no more visitors in the night?"

Vegeta grunted but opened his eyes and peered at the other Saiyan.

"I wonder how long we've been here. I don't think the lights mean day and night, you know." Vegeta said nothing after a moments pause so he kept talking.

"I was thinking about what that kid said. About how Saiyans were responsible for killing lots of people and all. He's probably right. So where does that leave us? If they have some sort of trial, nobody is gonna step up and say 'nope, sorry judge, they didn't do anything.' I mean, technically, we can't prove that we – well, me at least – wasn't a part of Freeza's army. We are both old enough and all. I think we have a problem."

Vegeta squinted at him more. "Really, Kakarrot. A problem."

"Hm, yeah." Goku put a finger to his lips and cocked his head. "I'm not done: hold on."

The prince closed his eyes again but Goku could tell he was listening by the way Vegeta's face was pointed in his direction. He was awfully pale. "So, if that is the case. We probably aren't going to be pardoned or anything. So, I think we need to get out of here."

Vegeta coughed but the corners of his lips turned up in a sad shadow of his customary smirk. "Yes. I agree Kakarrot. I hope you have something in mind. You do always manage to get out of any compromising situation."

"I don't have much of a plan yet. But you told me to start thinking about one so I did. I figure we need to leave soon. Who knows how long they won't feed us for!" He pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his knees, resting his chin on them. His back pulled taunt in the most pleasing of ways.

"I don't know enough about these people. And I don't know why I can't use my ki. That energy barrier goes down when that boy comes in. Can't we just knock him out or something?"

Vegeta sighed and raised his had to cover half of his face and rested his elbow on his knee. He opened the exposed eye. It swiveled over to rest on Goku's face. "Kakarrot. What do you think when you look at that boy?"

Goku sat up straighter and turned his head to look fully at his companion. "Huh? What do you mean? I see a kid – well, I guess he's a bit older than that – but that's what I see. Uh, he's pretty I guess. He kinda reminds me of one somebody from a magazine." He paused. "Why?"

"That is what you see with your eyes. But what does he really look like to you?"

Goku found the question unnerving and Vegeta's single, blood shot eye was starting to bother him. He fumbled over his next words. "Uh, well, I don't know really. That's all I see. I felt kind of angry when he was telling us all that stuff. Is that what you mean?"

The prince frowned. "No. Its not."

"Oh. Then what do you see then? Am I missing something?"

Vegeta dropped his hand, closed his eye and let his head fall back against the wall. "I see something I shouldn't."

"What?" Goku found himself asking in surprise. His eye brows rose and he leaned towards his friend.

"You see a boy, Kakarrot. A pretty boy. But just a regular boy. Correct?"

"Yeah, that's it. What else is there to see?"

Vegeta seemed to growl in his chest. He squeezed his eyelids and his fingers curled into fists in his lap. "I see something different. I see a boy, yes. But not just a boy. I see someone whom I could never hurt or even think about hurting. I see someone familiar; who I am comfortable and close with."

Goku felt a chill go up his spine. The hairs on his arms were standing straight up. "A boy," he whispered, "Somebody close... is it a vision? Do you see..." He tailed off and dropped his head. He couldn't bare to look at his friend. "Do you see Trunks?"

Vegeta's body clenched beside him and the air was immediately tense. But, Goku sighed and relaxed at his coarse words. His voice was thick and scratchy. "No. No, its not Trunks."

"Oh. Well... that's good then." Goku reached out and placed his hand gently on Vegeta's shoulder for a moment before reconsidering and pulling away. "Than who?"

The prince did not speak for a moment. "Its is no one specific. Just a boy."

Goku was confused and his eyebrows dipped lower on his face. But Vegeta continued without a prompt. "The Race are only known through stories to me. They were mostly extinct when their planet was destroyed from space by one of Freeza's battle cruisers."

He took a moment to open both eyes. His pale was ashen and his irises ringed with red. Goku could feel heat rolling off him in thick waves. "Freeza wanted them dead for the very reason they want us dead."

"He was scared of what they could do," Goku finished for him.

Vegeta gave a small nod. "I do not think that even Freeza met with one of their members in person. The Race are known for being isolationists. Or, at least they were. They were not concerned with the problems of the Galaxy. However, Freeza was never one to put anything to chance."

Goku immediately thought to the Saiyan planet. Freeza had known their would have been a rebellion in the future. So he just skipped dealing with the consequences and was pro-active about the possible situation; he blew up the planet.

"So," Vegeta continued; his voice low and gruff from lack of hydration. "He sent his Class F warship to the planet; it fired two phaser bursts and the possible threat was gone."

"But what threat?" Goku asked. When they had been in the hanger, the weapons the Race had used would hardly have been an threat to Freeza or his command. And, despite their ability to remain slightly disguised and hidden in the light, even a simple scouter could have pinpointed their location.

Vegeta bared his teeth, his pupils pinpoints in his wild eyes. "Its not their technology. And its not their warriors. Its their biology."

Goku pursed his lips together as Vegeta continued; his voice at a gruff whisper. "Any race, any race across this galaxy, has a weakness. The Groupins of Quadrant 10 fall to the insatiable desire to eat. And, a Race will make a Groupin eat his own arm off. Chew it down to the bone and swallow. The F'lourans of the planet Haoup are slightly more mad that is healthy. A Race will turn them into a mindless animal."

The prince snapped his teeth. "Freeza's species are slaves to power. A Race could convince even Freeza himself that it was more powerful than him. And Freeza would bury his face in the dirt at its feet and wipe its ass if he got too close. Freeza would have seen his own god."

Goku swallowed. "And, what would happen to a Saiyan if he got too close?" He paused and chose his next words carefully as he scanned the man in front of him. His mouth was dry. "What happens to you?"

Vegeta did not answer at first. But, his mouth fell back into a neutral line and some of the tension on his face disappeared. "I see domination. I see the boy pleading with me, Kakarrot. I see him moaning at my touch." The prince face twisted into a sadistic smile. "I see him giving me everything I want. I am incapable to thought or action."

The larger Saiyan was suddenly at a lose for words. He sat back against the wall and stared out into the room beyond the energy field. The tips of his fingers felt numb. Did he see that in the boy? Maybe he wasn't close enough. But Vegeta had been next to him when the boy was in the room. If Vegeta had see it, then so should have he. The idea was frightening to him. If he had such thoughts, would he be able to ride Nimbus again if they returned to Earth? How could he ever look at his extended family the same again. He would be no better than the creeps on the nightly news.

He glanced at Vegeta out of the side of his eyes. The other Saiyan had closed his eyes and his head had fallen forward to rest on his chest. His face still had a greenish pallor to it.

"But," Goku thought to himself, "Vegeta isn't one of those creeps on the nightly news either." At least, not for a long time. The boy was correct in one aspect of this entire issue. Vegeta had been a member of Freeza's army and he had killed to many people to count.

Suddenly, Goku felt frustrated with himself and with his friend. For the first time, he was annoyed at his own naivety. A war to him was about the battle; the fight for victory. But he knew there was another side; a darker side that most people did not like to think about. What happened when the battle was won and the city captured? What about the women and children whose husbands and sons and fathers had died? He knew the answer.

Vegeta's life in Freeza's army had never been discussed. Goku had considered it to be in the past and he believed whole-heatedly that everyone deserved a second chance. But knowing Vegeta had killed was a lot different than hearing or seeing the details. When he was in the army, did he prefer a shot of energy through the heart for a quick death? Or did he draw it out slowly in way Goku did not want to imagine – maybe by ripping a spine out through a mouth or roasting flesh in a low powered energy blast.

He shuddered at the thought. And what about when the battle was over? What did Vegeta order his men to do with those who were left?

For as much as Goku had come to accept that fact that he was not human, he realized that he did not know what a Saiyan was either. If domination was at the heart of every Saiyan... He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to focus. His words flew out his mouth in a breathless huff. "I don't see that."

"No. You don't," was all Vegeta said.

They sat together in silence. Goku's thoughts drowned out the smells he had been so concerned about earlier. His mind was churning from possibility to possibility. And he found that he did not like any of them.

He could remember when Vegeta had first arrived on Earth. He had been wild. His eyes had been unfocused and swung lazily across Earth's defenses. He had killed Nappa without a second thought. He had laughed like a mad man and had relished in the pain he had brought to Goku and his friends. He really had been high on fear and blood.

Was that what Saiyans were like? Did their desire to fight go beyond the basic thrill of battle and a test of strength? Goku had not thought that before, but after Vegeta's comments, he could easily piece together a chain of fighting, violence and sadism.

But if Saiyans were all driven by these, frankly, disturbing influences, then why didn't he see the same thing? He did think that those types of pleasures were exciting to him. He had never given it any conscious thought before. But, this was supposed to be a deeper influence than anybody really consciously thought about. Nobody – at least that he could imagine – would want to chew off their own arm. But yet, that was apparently what might happen.

Maybe Vegeta did not want to see what he did. But he saw it anyways.

Goku brightened a bit at the thought. After all, Vegeta probably wanted to get off the ship as much as he did. He did not want to be distracted; he wanted to leave. And, much of what worried him was in the past. He had always gone by the philosophy of "what's done is done." Vegeta had no ability to go back and change his actions even if he wanted to.

The Saiyan felt comforted at his own thought process. He glanced over at his friend. "So, that stops you from being able to attack, then?" he asked tentatively. He kept his voice quite and soft as to not betray the inner workings of his mind.

Vegeta scoffed, his face tightening. "Yes, fool. Did you ever feel the need to murder your bed mate when she was moaning your name?"

Goku blushed but said nothing in retaliation.

The prince continued. "Oh course, my predicament is nothing if you are not affected." He opened his eyes and found Goku's face, his own still pale and sickly. "Apparently, you have full control."

Goku nodded. "Well, I can't use my energy, obviously. But, yeah..." He trailed off, his own comment bringing up the other part of their problem: that neither of them could access their energy. At least, Goku assumed. If Vegeta could have, he would have blasted out already. He wasn't one for waiting around.

"No. We can't. At least, not in this cell," Vegeta stated. His voice took on an excited tilt. "Pay attention to your energy when the barrier drops."

Goku opened his mouth to ask what Vegeta meant when the lights dimmed and the fan in the air vent turned off. A door opened with a swish somewhere to their left, where neither of them could see, and he could immediately feel the boy's energy come into the room when the electromagnetic field winked out of existence.

And there it was. Just as Vegeta had said. His energy was tingling under his skin, warming his muscles and filling his heart. The feeling was like a cool breeze through his soul and he felt exhilarated for the first time in years; like the first time he had ridden Nimbus or the first time he saw Gohan's face. It was only a throb in his soul, nothing compared to the ocean he normally dipped into, but he had not realized how much he yearned for it until it returned.

He glanced quickly at Vegeta before the boy came into view. The prince's face was decidedly improved. The green tinge around his lips was gone and he was breathing easier. A small tinge of color had returned to his cheeks. Vegeta flexed his fists in his lap and clenched his jaw, his eyes staring straight ahead.

Goku shuffled forward a bit to sit slightly in front of his prince.

"Ah, I'm glad you are both awake," the boy said as he entered and sat down on the floor, just as he had at the previous visit. His nose crinkled up at the smell of urine and sweat, but he said nothing about it.

"You seemed to have healed. Saiyans were always known for being a resilient species." He smiled. Last time, Goku had thought his smile charming and beautiful; now, he felt sick.

"I wish to keep this visit short," he said, eyes flashing briefly to Vegeta's form, "so I only have prepared a few questions."

He looked at Goku. The Saiyan thought it odd that a smile could reach the boy's eyes while was interrogating a prisoner. What was there to be happy about?

"We received word through and anonymous source that their were Saiyans stationed on the planet. We were able to pinpoint an area of habitation. However, due to our appointed role, we must perform a through investigation as to the your patterns, purpose and numbers on the planet." He paused there for a moment and pulled out a tablet. "How many Saiyans are on the planet, besides the two of you?"

Goku opened his mouth to respond, but Vegeta was already talking from behind him. "How many of our companions have your apprehended already?"

Goku swung his head and lowered his eyebrows in confusion. Vegeta's eyes remained on the boy and he ignored him. The air around him shimmered with heat.

"I am not at liberty to discuss that," the boy said, his fingers flying over the pad. It chimed in his lap. "However, the faster that we can take your entire party into custody, the faster your trial can begin."

Suddenly, Goku understood Vegeta's answer. He wanted to waist time. If the ship left the planet's surface, their chances of escape decreased drastically. He decided to help out: "I don't think we will be helping you find anybody." He narrowed his eyes at the boy. "Saiyans are not traitors to their own kind."

The boy looked interested. "Researchers did say that Saiyans were communal creatures." He leaned forward from his cross-legged position on the floor. "You seem to be following this trend." He smiled slowly and entered something into his tablet.

Goku braced himself for the next question. He could still feel his energy groggily coming back to life. It felt sleepy – almost thick. Before it had run like a mountain stream; endless and clear, coming form ancient glaciers on the caps. Now, it reminded him of the jello Goten liked to smash on Trunk's face when they were little. It was tentatively available to him at best.

"With your appearance, the galaxy has been alerted to the continued survival and activity of the the Saiyan race. On what planet are the other Saiyans located? How many total Saiyans are there?"

Goku's first reaction to the questions was humor. They thought there were more? Oh course, there were more, but he hardly thought the family he and Vegeta had left safely on Earth were what the Race had in mind. They were looking for the Radditzs of the galaxy.

But, he could feel Vegeta tense behind him and suddenly, he realized he did not know for sure. The galaxy was a big place. Could all of the Saiyans been planet-side when Freeza blew it up? That was really impossible almost. After all, Vegeta, Nappa and Radditz had not been there. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest at the possibilities.

"Your answer, please," the boy asked. He pushed a stray strand of blonde hair behind his ear and blinked slowly at them.

Goku did not know what to say. Should they allude to the fact that there might be other Saiyans out there roaming the galaxy and making trouble even though they did not know for sure? What if there really were and their answer led to the real destruction of the Saiyan race? Or what if their answer somehow led the Race to Earth were they would find many individuals with Saiyan blood living happily among humans?

He opened his mouth and then closed it, feeling torn. The boy was still waiting expectantly.

"We are not at liberty to discuss that," Vegeta said gruffly, mocking the boy's earlier words. His voice was low and strained. Goku heard his nostrils flare and the air was hot and sticky.

The boy said nothing, he only entered some information into his tablet. It chimed again in his lap. "Well, I am afraid that is all the time we have for the moment. Please excuse me." He rose to his feet in one graceful movement and exited the room.

The energy barrier immediately flared to life and the fan resumed spinning in the vent with a sharp scrape of metal on metal. Goku felt his energy retreat from his use as the lights brightened to full capacity.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"I doubt we will be on this planet much longer."

Goku looked at his companion evenly from his position on the floor. The gangly Saiyan had taken to lounging wantonly; invading more of Vegeta's personal space than was necessary even in the close quarters. He had to draw both of his knees to his chest; and, even then, Goku's ribs were pushed up again his shins. There was just enough pressure that Vegeta wanted to move, but not so much that he did. The doctor's cat used to perform a similar ritual when it wanted more space on the sofa. Only, that cat's tail would not have been dragging lifelessly through the filth on the floor. He wound his own tail around his thigh more tightly.

"Hmm," said Goku, noncommittally. Vegeta began to wonder if the air was taking its effect on the other Saiyan as well. That would be unlucky.

They had not spoken much over many hours they spent in the cell. There was no way to tell how long they had been there as the lights only dimmed when the Race entered. Ever since their earlier discussion, Goku had not tried to induce any asinine conversations. However, he had not tried to induce any meaningful debates either. He was silent in his own thoughts.

Vegeta wondered if, when the time was appropriate, Goku would step up. He was doubtful.

"The boy has already returned several times to interrogate us." He nudged the other Saiyan with his foot. Goku's body was warm. His body, on the other hand, was covered in a thin sheen on cooling sweat and his brain felt like it was sloshing around in his skull. "We need to go now. As soon as the boy comes back next."

Goku tilted his head to the side to look up more easily at Vegeta.

The prince continued: "I'm not waiting anymore."

Goku nodded slowly, the sides of his mouth turning up slightly in a mock smile. "Okay," he said simply. Vegeta nudged him again with his foot looking for more of a response but Goku said nothing else.

And he did not wait long. Within hours, the lights and the energy field followed their usual pattern. And, more importantly, the fan ceased pushing the heavily laden air into the room.

A private smile stretched his dry lips over his teeth when it ground to a halt. He could feel Goku shifting anxiously beside him and the other Saiyan rose scrambled to his knees; his tail flopping around uselessly like that of a horse.

"He looks weak," Vegeta thought spitefully. Goku's arms hung limply from his tall form; his back slightly hunched from lack of food and water. The skin around his eyes held a dark hint that marred his normally pale and clear countenance. His shirt stuck to his chest with the vestiges of blood and the added sweat and filth of their last few days.

But, the energy was there. Vegeta could feel it building rapidly beneath the surface in a similar pattern to his own. It leaked into his muscles, giving them the strength he needed to peel himself off the wall and stagger to his feet over his companion. His headache was disappearing and tongue no longer choked him.

"Kakarrot," he said.

Goku said nothing, his eyes remained fixed ahead of them.

Vegeta could already feel the boy's energy hovering outside the doorway. It was strong, compared to the average level of beings spread across the galaxy. It was much more than a human. Freeza would have expected much more. It was nothing

The boy entered then, and reasonable thought was hard to come by. Vegeta knew what he should see: a young humanoid male with smooth skin and untainted energy. He should see a boy many years his younger; someone who he could trust and believe. A pendant swung around his neck; tantalizing and suggestive.

Vegeta wanted to reach out and wrap it around his fist and pull that body closer – make the face turn red and purple with excitement and terror. The boy's nostrils would flare in surprise and his heart would flutter weakly in his chest. The blood would stink with the putrid stench of fear and reverence.

The boy sat. Goku's face twisted.

"Kakarrot," he tried again. He struggled to take a step, his energy sloshing around somewhere around his ankles. Goku's was pooling much more quickly.

The boy seemed to ignore their behavior. "Good evening, young Saiyans." His pad chirped in its usual manner. "

Vegeta took a another step forward, his legs popping and cracking with disuse. His stomach cramped around a ball of lead. He squeezed his hands in a fist.

"I would like to continue with our questioning from our previous meeting," the boy was saying, but Vegeta was not listening.

The prince had taken another step as the alien's scent collided with his instincts. It was a tantalizing blend of a summer day and the rancid stink of bloodied battlefield. Through the high grass and past the sweet air, he could spy the bodies cleverly hidden. But their rotting stench and sour entrails did little to deter him.

In the grass lay his prize. Vegeta raised his nose and flared his nostrils trying to pinpoint the source. The hair on his arms and neck were erect with excitement and possibility and his breath came in short, hot puffs out of parted lips. He squatted low the ground , his tail raised high in the air behind him. The soft dirt shifted under his weight as he leaned forward in anticipation.

He reached out a hand to carefully draw apart the tall, thick grass in front of him. Vaguely, in the distance, he heard the sound of a commotion. But it did not deter him from his hunt. The grass rustled around him in the warm breeze; its stalks concealing him.

A boy was just ahead of him – a boy like he had never seen before. In the bright sunlight, the corpses around him look peaceful and content; like a eagle perch triumphantly above it's catch. The air hung heavily with the weight of humidity creating a sweaty dew that mingled with the blood on the boy's skin. His eyes were wide with surprise at the sight of the Saiyan, but his body shivered with exhilaration as an object in his lap fell to the side. His skin was golden beneath the blood and entrails and vomit, but his hair was a bright as a star. It shone and flashed as Vegeta moved forward and reached out to touch it.

And then he dropped his hand to the boy's neck – stroking along the thin lines of his tendons. The boy opened his mouth in a short whine of desperation revealing a pink tongue and a pant of warm breath. His eyes flew open in surprise.

The prince lightly dipped his fingers lower to run his hands over the bloodstained pendent hanging low on the boy's chest. He gave it an experimental tug.

The boy's lashed dropped for a moment as the thin chain dug into the soft skin of his neck. His breath sped up and his tongue darted out to moisten his lips. Vegeta though about what that hot mouth might feel like and gave another tug; this one much harder.

A small noise of complaint fell from the boy's lips and his body leaned forward to follow the motion of the necklace. Vegeta closed the distance between them and lowered his head for a taste of the blood and sweat glistening on his neck. The skin was hot and salty. The boy shivered and gasped in surprise; a moan sounding deep in his chest.

He leaned in again for a second taste -

and fell backward on to a cold floor in a black room.

Goku's face was frozen between horror and anger. He started at the body of the boy in silence. The Race was dead on the floor, his neck snapped. Vegeta could feel his own hot blood pouring down his face from a cut in his hairline. Kakarrot had probably punched him first. The boy's pad was shattered against a wall.

Vegeta ignored it and reached for the boy's neck; staggering to his feet once again. His tounge felt heavy in his mouth. The air felt empty without the splatter of blood and brains.

"Here." He grabbed the chain around the neck and pulled up with a snap of his wrist. The neck arched gracefully for a moment while the boys eyelids slid closed and his blonde hair fell softly around his shoulders; a pantomime of coital bliss. Vegeta could fell the hair on the back of his arms rise again as they remembered his folly. "A token."

His body was still there tempting and taunting. Vegeta was almost positive that even Kakarrot was not immune to its pleasures and promises despite his ability to overcome. Even Gohan had been sullied in the end. He has rutted and killed and lusted and indulged just like every living creature before him. Temptation and jealousy were the virus of the universe. They slipped in through the cracks in the heart and took up residence in the mind weaving webs of desire.

"Take your bounty and let's leave quickly before we are discovered. I do not doubt the technology of this vessel." With a flick, he tossed the chain and pendant to Goku. The other Saiyan caught it easily; his eyes hardening. "Let's go."

Goku said nothing, he only stared at the body on the floor. Its glow was fading fast. As fast as Vegeta could feel his energy returning. In Vegeta's head, a timer was ticking loudly.

There were no alarms blasting of their insurrection, but it was only a matter of moments before their escape would be noticed. There was no time to sneak off the ship. Mostly, because the ship was due for take-off at any moment. They needed to leave before the ship entered the topmost layer of atmosphere over the planet. Even for a Saiyan, re-entry could be dangerous and unpredictable.

A forceful escape was the best plan. He told Goku as much: "Now, if you are done your worthless mourning, I would like to leave." Vegeta pulled together what little energy he could in the diluted, but still poisoned, air and directed his attention to the floor. "After I blast through, you need to cover all directions. I do not know how deep in the ship we are. There might be many levels."

Goku nodded in tight acknowledgment of the words. He could refute such a brass order; but Vegeta knew he would not. He hoped to avoid yelling. He could see Goku shove his dissident thoughts to the back of his mind. They would wait to argue and escape from this unnatural place. "I won't kill anyone else."

"Whatever. Just don't let them shoot us. And don't get hit by anything," he added after a thought. His voice was still thick and his sense of scent escalated. Goku gave him a hard stare.

Vegeta pulled his ki to hover slightly off the cold metal of the floor as Goku followed suit. The light of his energy gathered on his outstretched palms before slamming into the deck. He winced as hot metal sloshed up out of the widening crater and hit his cheek. The metal was melting; but slowly. The ship was well constructed, he conceded to himself. It would not be a easy escape. The slow poisoning of the air was maddening, although, it was much more clear than in their small cell. And that damned fan was thankfully still silent. No one knew of their turn in fortunes.

After a few moments, the floor broke through to reveal a maze of twisting wires and tubes. These simply vanished from the heat of the ki and the lower deck was revealed. As fast as it happened, alien warriors filled the whole and started firing up through it. Their short burst of energy and they were like buzzing bees on a summer afternoon at Capsule Corp. Their weapons stung but did little to slow the Saiyans. The bigger guns had yet to arrive and these were no Race warriors – only hired hands of low-energy creatures.

Goku fired one blast from Vegeta's left and they quickly dropped through the hole and started on the next level. The shots were coming from all around them, then. The room they had entered was cavernous and wide with light emitting from almost every available surface. Vegeta felt his eyes burn and water and the sheer luminosity of it. His eyes turned to slits as he tried to focus on the floor.

Almost immediately, an alarm went off somewhere in the bowls of the ship. It was a high-pitched bleat of an animal that made the Saiyans' skin crawl and their ears ache. The attackers seemed to pay it no mind as they closed in from the horizon. Vegeta felt the first cannon blast whip by his head and the air be sucked back into the space it has so shortly occupied.

"Yes!" He growled as the floor gave way and they crashed down again.

Goku was firing shots in every direction, hitting as many knees and legs as he could. He squinted into the bright light – there were Race on this level. One blast of powder flew dangerously close past his head. The air choked him for a moment as his nose burned and his lungs tightened painfully. He tucked his tail closer to his body.

Goku was frustrated beside him. The Race were nearly invisible though he could see the other alien beings well enough. Sometimes, a target would move to quickly and he would see one of the Race appear out of the corner of his vision. The light was making the taller Saiyan's head swim and his aim shakily. He could already fell his energy swimming out of him in an uncontrolled current as each shot was fired into the haze of light. He breathed in that cursed air and filled his lungs.

Vegeta took a small comfort in that he could feel Goku's body beside him, their shoulders touching, leaking energy out as they went lower in the ship level by level. The other had not faltered.

The burnt smell of wires and lead permeated the air. Goku's hair was thick with electricity as wires exploded around them and showered them both in sparks. The weapons the Race used left a burnt and left a sour taste in his mouth every time he blocked one or sent the bolt flying back towards its owner. Sweat dripped down his shoulder blades and pooled at the dip in his back. Shots were pouring down from the holes they had already created on the upper levels. The alarm was almost unbearable.

They dropped two more levels before Goku started screaming in Vegeta's ear over the screaming alarm and hiss of weapons. "How big is this ship?" Spit flew from his mouth in his growing frustration.

They were both starting to run low on energy. Goku's vigor was dropping like a rock in his favorite childhood lake with every floor they fell into; Vegeta's own energy was following a similar path.

Both Saiyans felt the shudder of the ship when the ascension engines fired and the landing joists were pulled back into the belly of the hull. The vessel lurched for a moment displacing many of the attackers. Vegeta grimaced and poured more energy into his attack. Goku took the opportunity to be on the offensive.

"Shut the fuck up and keep firing," Vegeta hissed back over his shoulder. His pupils were red around the edges in his growing fury. "I don't want to die here because you are feeling a little tired." He tried to focus his anger on the floor (this one white marble with a red rush of pattern snaking its way through the grain.) It cracked easily under his ki and both Saiyans dropped unexpectedly though to the next level. Shots flew harmlessly over their heads.

The next level was empty save for a few shipping crates. Goku dropped his defensive position as Vegeta started on the floor. It was only a few moments before high level Race were leaning over the newest hole and firing downward. Goku raised his arms to block his face and crouched over his prince.

As soon as the floor started giving way, a new alarm joined the old one. This was entirely different. But Vegeta recognized it from years of living in the cold vacuum of space: a hull breach alarm. It started off with a low guttural wail of beaten warrior and heightened into the alto moan of a street whore. It evoked a deeper sense of fear in a space traveler; for it was one thing to be under attack and a wholly different matter to be sucked out of your frigate to die a death without honor or valor.

"We are close," Vegeta whispered more to himself as a plea for his body to provide more. But Goku heard the comment and started firing back at their attackers determined to get off the ship. The main engines were roaring more loudly now and the floor was resonating with their life. Vegeta could smell the thick, poisonous gas of the exhaust and feel the soot of the burn settle on his dry and cracked lips. His head ached.

And then they broke through. The air outside the ship was cold and thin. Before they could move, the air had yanked them out of the storage hold and flung them in opposite directions through the atmosphere; sucking the air out of his chest and crushing his lungs in the burning cold.

Vegeta's arm and face brushed through the burn in his wild fall. He could not get control of his flight- all his limbs flung out in different directions and his tail snapped in the up-current of wind. The ships swell up through the air was pulling him up into space with the vessel. His energy ached in his chest. The wind grabbed and tossed him around like a woman experiencing a cult rape. One of his legs glanced through another burn point.

And then the ship left them. It's secondary burn flipped on and the ship accelerated so quickly that the planet's gravity finally took affect and wrenched the Saiyans back towards its surface. Vegeta could finally feel the gut-lifting sensation of falling and embraced the darkness of exhaustion. He could sense Goku flung far away, but alive. His energy rushed back in to its full potential in the icy winds of the planet's surface – but it was not soon enough.

He hit the ground with little control. The agony of the landing brought a short scream to his lips. And then, for the second time, he passed out on the planet's surface.

**Author's Response: **

-Pitje2: This will be quite a lengthy story, and there will be other planets. :)

-noon: Thank you for your comments. I'm glad that I am doing a good enough job for the image I want this story to project. About your comment on realism, I hope to keep this story exceptionally real. I want it to be gritty without it being gross or overdone. Please let me know if I accomplish this!

-Guest: I did not know about the Saiyan's cannon lifespan. However, I hope that you will enjoy this tale even though it is not completely to Toriyama's original vision. Thank you for the information and review.

-AlphaShenron: More will be reveled about Goku and Vegeta's children in future chapters. Hopefully, I will better explain the ki situation in this chapter and the next. There are many different random theories as to how ki works in the series. My take on it may be different than many. I will say, though, that much of the Saiyan's actions are based on not drawing attention to themselves. Thank you for the honest review.


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